StubHub Reviews 2019 (StubHub Compliments & Complaints)

After reading several StubHub Reviews from disgruntled users, I thought a review on StubHub from an industry insider (and competitor) would be valuable for StubHub users. That’s because I’ve got every incentive to bash StubHub, yet won’t because they don’t deserve to be.

StubHub pioneered the event ticket resale industry. They set the standard for how a ticket marketplace should operate, and they were the first ticket exchange to offer *Guarantees regarding a ticket’s legitimacy. So although I’m the co-founder of TickPick (one of StubHub’s competitors), I still respect the company. However, when deciding on where to buy your tickets, I think it’s important that people know that the majority of tickets on StubHub can be bought for less money on TickPick, without the high service fees.

StubHub Reviews 2013-2019

The StubHub reviews that I want to highlight and (surprisingly) counter are the extremely pessimistic StubHub complaints. For example, if you read all of the StubHub complaints on Consumer Affairs, you would probably decide to never buy tickets from StubHub again; however, keep in mind that StubHub gets more than 10 million web visitors a month and is selling a ticket almost every second. So, after over 15 years of business, it’s not surprising to have 880 formal complaints against StubHub on BBB.

It’s also worth mentioning that the StubHub Yelp Reviews provide good insights from a diverse group of users. You’ll read some StubHub customer reviews that provide tips as well as other users that provide valid reasons as to why they won’t use Stubhub again. However, when searching for Yelp StubHub reviews, be aware that there are small StubHub Local Pick Up offices that have their own Yelp pages. These user reviews are specific to the pick up location and not the overall StubHub experience.

The remainder of this StubHub review is going to be a bit more critical, specifically regarding their high fees and the customer complaints revolving around instant downloads, and fake tickets.

StubHub’s Ticket Guarantee – Is StubHub Reliable?

In my mind, StubHub’s FanProtect Guarantee is what set them apart from everyone else in the early years. Interestingly enough, even though StubHub cannot fully authenticate and guarantee the tickets that you buy, they have done an incredible job in creating a sense of (false?) confidence. Here’s an overview of StubHub’s ticket guarantee:

You will get your tickets in time for the event

Your tickets will be valid for entry

Your tickets will be the same as those you ordered

If any of these things do not occur, we will find you comparable or better tickets to the event, or offer you a refund

If the event is cancelled and not rescheduled, you will get a refund

So the frequent problem that occurs is that someone gets to the venue and couldn’t get in. At this point, you can call StubHub and there’s a 50 / 50 chance they can get you replacements. My friends at PandoDaily, shared their story about how StubHub did provide replacement tickets at a 49ers game (after their tickets didn’t work). The bigger the event, the more likely Stubhub will be able to get you replacement tickets within 30 to 60 minutes. If you don’t receive replacements, the good news is you’ll receive a refund, while the bad news is that you’d want to be in attendance for that concert, game or show, and a refund probably is the last thing on your mind at that point.

TickPick – A Cheaper & More Reliable Solution than StubHub

Unlike what you may expect, 99% of the time, invalid tickets purchased on StubHub are actually caused by unintentional accidents. For example, when I was in college, I had two pairs of tickets to a concert. I sold one pair and used the other. I got a phone call from StubHub a couple of days later telling me that the tickets I sold didn’t work for the buyer. After some research, I found that I had mistakenly delivered the same e-tickets that I used myself to the StubHub customer. So what’s the lesson?

StubHub positions themselves as a fan-to-fan marketplace – which isn’t really true – though it does sound nice. Nonetheless, what I learned is that the majority of problems that occur with StubHub are from individual fans that are college students like I was who sell tickets either as a side hustle or because they cannot use them. The other 75% of tickets listed on StubHub are provided by ticket brokers. Surprisingly (or not), ticket brokers make significantly less mistakes than the average fan. The simple reason for this is because selling tickets is a broker’s full-time occupation, and if they mess up, they don’t get paid. So what does this have to do with TickPick?

Unlike StubHub, 99% of TickPick’s ticket inventory is provided by professional ticket resellers. So not only does TickPick undercut StubHub’s fees (we have NO buyer fees), but we also have a 110% money back guarantee. We provide you, the customer, with the support and attention that you require and deserve. No other ticket company takes accountability like we do. Similar to how BlueNile works, if you’re dealing with one customer support agent, not only can you request to speak with the same person again, we suggest it.

StubHub Employee Reviews

I included these two StubHub reviews from employees because I thought it provided insights into the company.

Best Review: “A typical day consisted of taking escalated calls, fixing problems calling back and forth with vendors and customers. Employee training spot check reviewing your employees calls for speed & quality and writing reviews on them. Website scrubbing, making sure all listings on site were quality listings with real tickets listed. Answering questions, reviewing policy & procedure so to be able to answer all representative questions as they come up.”

Worst Review: “Management has no plan to grow the company. Decision making is stagnant. Poor mid level managers with no idea how to develop people. Most of the good talent has left.”

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